Be aware of money extortion by fake ‘customs’ officers

New Delhi: If you get call, email or letter from customs officers seeking payment of duty for sending or receiving goods or parcels, then beware! You are being duped.

Najib Shah Chairman of CBEC, the nodal national agency responsible for administering Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax.

The customs department has got many such cases where people have been cheated of money in their officers’ name.

“Instances have come to the notice that a number of persons are getting telephonic calls as well as e-mail and letters by post asking them to deposit money in individual bank accounts making claim that customs officer have stopped clearance or release of gift parcels or rewards unless a certain amount is deposited towards customs duties, penalties etc. and a bank account number is also given where the money is to be deposited,” the customs department has said.

Another common modus operandi is to send an e-mail stating that the recipient has won a prize or a parcel has been sent and money is to be deposited. “All such calls or mail are fake with the sole intention of cheating the public,” it said in a notice.

The general public is hereby notified and forewarned not to respond to such fake calls or mails as customs officer do not make telephonic calls or send such mail to deposit amounts in individual bank accounts, it said.

Customs department is not responsible in any way for any such fraudulent incidents and complaints, if any, in this regard may be made to the police, the notice said.

“All field formations have been informed about this modus operandi and to take necessary preventive steps,” a senior customs official said.